Tampa Bicycle Accident Lawyers

Biking is fun for the whole family. It’s also a convenient way to get around while minimizing your carbon footprint, upping your daily exercise, and enjoying the beautiful areas in and around Tampa. Unfortunately, bicycle accidents are far too common and far too dangerous. If a motorist’s negligence leaves you injured in a bike accident, working closely with an experienced and results-driven Tampa bicycle accident attorney is critical. Matthews Injury Law will stand up for your right to justice and full compensation.

Bicycle Accident FAQs

Having the answers to the most frequently asked questions related to bicycle accidents can help you better understand the claim process.

Do I Need to Hire a Bicycle Accident Attorney?

While you are not required to hire a bike accident attorney, bike accident claims are complicated, and obtaining the compensation to which you are entitled can make the difference between reaching your most complete recovery and not doing so. A dedicated bike accident attorney will help ensure that your rights are well protected throughout.

What if I Can’t Afford a Bicycle Accident Attorney?

Bicycle accident attorneys generally work on a contingency basis, which means they assume the financial risk. Your bike accident lawyer won’t be paid until and unless you reach a settlement with the insurance company or are awarded compensation by the court – at which time, he or she will receive a prearranged percentage of your total compensation.

What Are the Bike Laws in Florida?

The State of Florida takes the safety of bicyclists seriously, and all of the following laws apply:

• Motorists must allow at least three feet of space when passing someone on a bike.
• Bicyclists should always ride in the right-most lane (or in a bike lane whenever possible).
• Bicyclists may ride on sidewalks, but pedestrians always have the right-of-way.
• At night, bicyclists are required to have lights on the front and back.

Regardless of the fact that you are more difficult to see on the road when you are on your bike, every motorist is responsible for safely sharing the roadway with all who travel on it, and this includes bicyclists like you.

Florida Is the Most Dangerous State for Bicyclists

According to a report put out in 2019 by AAA, Florida is the most dangerous state in the nation when it comes to bicycle fatalities. In fact, in 2017, a full 16 percent of the 783 bike fatalities in the nation occurred in Florida. The report also shares the top causes of fatal bike accidents, including:

• Motorists who fail to yield the right of way appropriately
• Motorists who fail to obey traffic lights, signs, signals, and instructions
• Motorists who make improper turns

Bicycle Accidents Can Cause Severe Injuries

Depending on the type of injury you suffered, you may feel symptoms right away or won’t feel anything until symptoms appear later. It’s common for bicyclists to sustain injuries all over their bodies. The slim, lightweight bicycle frames don’t provide adequate protection from crashes, which means that bicycle accident injuries are often more severe than injuries from other types of traffic accidents.

While your bike can be repaired or replaced after an accident, your body cannot, and it’s not always easy for bicyclists to recover from serious injuries. Bicycle accident injuries can range from simple trauma to potentially fatal conditions, such as:

• Face: Eye injuries, contusions, lacerations, dental fractures, facial fractures
• Head: Concussions, skull fracture, brain hemorrhage, brain contusion, other traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
• Chest: Parenchymal lung injury, rib fractures
• Musculoskeletal: Strains, sprains, dislocations, fractures
• Soft Tissue: Road rash or abrasions, bruises, lacerations
• Abdomen: Hepatic laceration, pancreatic trauma, renal contusion, ruptured spleen
• Back: Spinal cord damage, paralysis
• Genitourinary: Pelvic fractures, rectal trauma, vulva, and urethral trauma

Damages You Can Recover in a Tampa Bicycle Accident Claim

When bicyclists are involved in accidents caused by another motorist or hazardous road conditions, they can suffer serious to potentially deadly injuries due to the limited protection their bikes provide. Matthews Injury Law understands how a bike accident can result in drastic changes to your physical, financial, and emotional wellbeing. We’ll work hard to hold the negligent party liable for your damages.

Our skilled Tampa bicycle accident lawyers have assisted numerous bicycle accident victims to fight for fair compensation that will cover all the damages they incurred, including:

• Past, present, and future medical expenses related to your injuries
• Past, present, and future pain and suffering for your actual pain and emotional pain
• Lost earnings if you can’t go to work because of your injuries
• Reduced earning capacity
• Loss of life enjoyment
• Loss of companionship
• Loss of services or guardians to minor children
• Other relevant out-of-pocket expenses incurred due to your injuries
• Burial and funeral expenses in the unfortunate event that a loved one was killed in a bicycle crash

What Our Tampa Bicycle Accident Lawyers Can Do For You

Working with a skilled Tampa bicycle accident lawyer will provide you with the valuable experience and resources necessary to secure fair compensation for all your losses. They will thoroughly investigate your case and safeguard your legal rights throughout the entire claims process. The Tampa bicycle accident lawyers of Mathews Injury Law can also achieve the most favorable results for your case by:

• Helping you understand the best possible options
• Working with professionals, including investigators and accident reconstruction specialists if necessary.
• Collecting and preserving evidence to strengthen your claim.
• Calculating the full value of your claim.
• Filing all paperwork on time.
• Handling all negotiations with the insurer and other parties to ensure that you will not get taken advantage of.
• Fighting for your right to fair compensation in court if the insurer is not willing to negotiate fairly, reduces your compensation, or denies your claim.

Determining Fault in Tampa Bicycle Accidents

In bicycle accidents, the concept of negligence comes into play when determining fault. All people who share the road - drivers, motorcyclists, pedestrians, and bicyclists - owe each other a legal duty of care when using the road. Violating that duty constitutes negligence, and anyone who’s negligent and caused an accident must be held liable for paying the damages of the party that incurred losses due to the accident.

To establish fault for an accident, our skilled Tampa bicycle accident lawyers will gather and use relevant evidence. All bicyclists must follow the rules of the road, like riding only on designated bicycle lanes, to ensure their safety. However, drivers must also follow specific rules, and our lawyers will evaluate which rules they may have violated to determine how their actions led to the bicycle accident.

Speed limits, weather conditions, driver safety, and road conditions will all play a crucial role in establishing fault in bicycle accident cases. Once fault has been established, our lawyers will work on your case to ensure that you receive proper compensation for all your damages, whether through an insurance settlement from the at-fault party’s insurance provider or a jury award at trial.

Our Experienced Tampa Bicycle Accident Lawyers Know How to Deal With Insurance Companies

Anyone who has sustained serious injuries and related losses should not also suffer financially due to another’s negligent actions. Unfortunately, it’s common for injured people to underestimate the real cost of their losses, falsely believing that whatever the at-fault party’s insurance provider is enough.

Furthermore, injured victims don’t normally realize the full scope of their damages since they don’t incur immediate expenses, such as future medical bills, lost wages, and property damage. For serious injuries, they will also incur future costs for long-term medical treatment and physical therapy, pain and suffering, and missed job opportunities. This means that if you accept the insurer’s settlement offer too early, you will end up with an amount that’s inadequate for your losses.

What you need to know is that insurers know all the tricks of the trade and will do all they can to avoid paying you a fair compensation amount. They will protect their financial interests and will try to deny, delay, or reduce the value of your claim or make a settlement offer far below the real worth of your claim.

Insurers and their well-trained lawyers and claims adjusters are experts at lowering damages by disputing the victim’s injuries. Without an experienced lawyer negotiating on your behalf, you may be pressured into accepting less than you deserve without knowing the financial burden you may face later. Worse, once you settle your claim, you’ll also be waiving your right to request more compensation in the future.

The skilled Tampa bicycle accident lawyers of Matthews Injury Law have ample experience dealing with personal injury cases with more than 70 years of combined experience. When we handle your case, the only thing you should focus on is recovering from your financial, physical, and emotional injuries.

An Experienced Florida Bicycle Accident Attorney Is Standing by to Help

If a driver’s negligence leaves you injured in a bike accident, the impressive Tampa bicycle accident attorneys at Matthews Injury Law have reserves of experience successfully helping clients like you obtain compensation that covers their complete physical, financial, and emotional damages. We’re here for you, too, so please don’t wait to contact us online or call us at 813-530-1000 or 941-877-5800 for more information today.